Types of Financial Aid for Graduate Students
A Graduate Degree at UD is Within Reach
The first step to applying for financial aid is to apply and be accepted to a University of Dayton graduate program. The federal government requires that any student seeking the use of Title IV funds must first be admitted to a degree-seeking program.
Once you have been accepted to a graduate program, you should file your FAFSA. Then, we will begin to prepare your aid for the upcoming year.
Types of Financial Aid Available to Graduate Students
A limited number of University-sponsored scholarships, grants and assistantships may be available from individual academic departments or programs of study. We recommend you peruse the links below, or contact your program directly for more information.
Assistantships and Fellowships
In addition to institutional opportunities, federal and state agencies may be a resource for additional scholarship and grants.
Federal TEACH Grant (education majors)
For this program, we will review the results of your FAFSA to determine the amount of direct loan you can borrow based on your grade level and enrollment status.
Federal Direct Loan
For students who have exhausted their direct loan eligibility for the year, or have reached the aggregate borrowing limit for that program, there may be opportunity to borrow additional federal funds via the Graduate PLUS Loan program. We will notify you of your eligibility for this loan on your annual award notification.
Graduate PLUS Loan
When searching for additional resources to fund your education, don't forget to explore the world of external scholarships. There are millions of dollars given annually to students from scholarship foundations, private businesses, professional clubs and organizations.
As part of your search, you may want to use one of the many free scholarship search services on the Internet. These agencies scan their database of awards and notify you to apply for those which match up against your personal profile.
Beware of those searches that charge you a fee; it may be a scam!
External Scholarships
Eligibility for most of these programs is based on the creditworthiness of the borrower, and we recommend students apply with a creditworthy cosigner in order to receive the most favorable loan terms. Some private lenders also offer a parent loan option, which allows parents, family members or friends to help students cover education-related expenses so they can focus on their studies without having to worry about financing their education. As with any loan, be sure to review all information carefully and contact the lender directly with any questions related to specific terms and conditions. Before pursuing a private loan, you are encouraged to explore all options available to you by filing the FAFSA. Federal student loans may be more favorable than private education loans.
To assist you in the search for additional financial resources, we provide you with a private loan comparison tool, FAST Choice. FAST Choice provides a historical list of lenders our students have used over the last three academic years. This information is updated on an annual basis. Additionally, FAST Choice can help you understand how to plan for successful repayment of your private loan.
The private loan process has many steps and it is important that you allow up to four weeks from the time of your application until the loan disbursement is sent to UD. This can impact the status of your student account, so be sure to plan ahead. During the application process, the lender will send you three separate disclosure statements, as well as a 'self-certification form'. The Cost of Attendance information you need to complete this form can be found on your award notification letter or via the 'Award Overview' tab of your financial aid information on Porches. Please review the information provided by the lender carefully and contact the lender directly with any questions related to a loan program's specific terms and conditions and how they apply to you.
Please contact a financial aid counselor if you would like help determining the amount needed to cover your expenses.
FAST Choice provides a historical list of lenders used by students and other borrowers at University of Dayton within the last three academic years. The university does not endorse any lender, nor do any of the lenders compensate University of Dayton to be on this list.
Graduate students are eligible to apply for student employment positions as long as they are enrolled at least half-time (minimum 3 hours per term). Once you are enrolled you can explore available positions and apply for those that interest you. Policies regarding student employment are available in the student employee handbook (.pdf).
